PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Police Department and the City of Presque Isle have announced the promotion of three patrol officers to the rank of sergeant: Chris Hayes, Lucas Hafford and Tyler Cote.
Police Chief Laurie Kelly stated, “Our goal is to have supervisors on each shift. Officers who were eligible by contract were contacted, and the three candidates who sat for the exam all passed. The Department and the City are very pleased with the results. These officers have good experience and I am looking forward to them offering guidance and training to new officers.”
Hayes has been with PIPD since 2007. He has been a patrol training officer for several years and is responsible for field training new officers for 12 weeks before they attend the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He is also responsible for an eight- to 12-week post field training program after officers graduate from the academy to re-acquaint them with working the road by themselves.
Hayes also helps guide applicants through physical fitness training through coaching them and making sure they adhere to strict MCJA fitness standards. This ensures candidates can apply for the basic law enforcement training sessions and become certified officers.
Kelly said, “Chris is very well-versed in current laws and policies as well as being a forward thinking officer with a lot of initiative, dedication and drive; he is truly an asset to the Presque Isle Police Department.”
Hafford has been with PIPD since 2013 and is also a recently certified training officer. Having two training officers will help the department to field train multiple new officer candidates at the same time.
In 2019, he was asked to develop a specific training session for a leadership class and then present it to the board of directors of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He chose critical incident stress. His training and methodology was adopted by the academy as the new standard for all BLETP cadets.
“Lucas has dedication and initiative and takes pride in developing new training guides, not only for Presque Isle PD, but for all law enforcement in the state as well,” said Kelly. “Lucas is a very democratic leader who has done and will do very well as a new leader and supervisor for the Presque Isle Police Department.”
Cote has been with the PIPD since 2014. He has a focused understanding and knowledge of drug laws as well as “hot spots” for drugs around town and those who engage in drug activity.
As of June 23, he alone had 97 arrests, 27 of which were drug-related, with seven of them involving felony trafficking. His arrest numbers have continued to rise. So far he has seized 18.72 grams of heroin, 56.55 grams of methamphetamine and numerous prescription pills and suboxone, with a total worth of around $12,000.
“Tyler definitely leads by example and is a true asset to the Presque Isle Police Department,” Kelly said. “Tyler Cote is a K9 Officer and will attend Basic K9 Certification with his partner, K9 Cali (a yellow Lab) in October.”
Kelly said she was excited all three officers will be able to develop their leadership and supervisory skills to serve the city.
“Sgt. Hayes, Sgt. Hafford, and Sgt. Cote each have unique skills and attributes that contribute to the fulfillment of a well-rounded, efficient and professional police force serving their community.”
According to the chief, the Presque Isle Police Department prides itself in its core values of honor, integrity, service to others, and excellence in all it does. Its mission is to create an atmosphere of partnership with the community toward a common goal of protecting life and property and enhancing the overall quality of life through mutual trust and respect and the fair and equitable enforcement of law while carefully safeguarding the dignity of all served.
More information can be found on Presque Isle Police Department by visiting its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PresqueislePD/ or its website at http://presqueislemaine.gov/police/.
